Quebec triple homicide suspect nabbed in Florida - Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL — A man who is facing charges for a triple homicide and arson in Quebec is likely to spend the next few weeks in a Florida jail after his violent arrest there.

The Sûreté du Québec filed a request to have Justin Bresaw extradited, but it's not yet clear when he will be returned to Canada.

On Monday, he was arraigned in a court in Tallahassee, Fla. on charges of battery against a police officer, resisting arrest with violence and resisting arrest without violence, an employee at the Leon County Sheriff's Office said. Bresaw, 35, is also being detained by U.S. Marshalls because of the request for extradition to Canada.

Denetra Smith, an employee at the Leon County Jail, where Bresaw is being held, told The Gazette it will likely be two or three weeks before Bresaw's next hearing in the county. She would not comment on reports that Bresaw could face up to 11 years in prison for the latest charges against him.

The SQ said Bresaw must deal with the latest charges against him, although it's not clear if the extradition would still take place in the next few months, the usual delay in extradition cases.

"Right now, Mr. Bresaw is detained in Florida and he's facing charges up there," SQ Sgt. Marc Tessier said Monday.

"After the due process is done in the United States, he will brought back here to face charges of a triple murder here in Canada."

Bresaw was the subject of a Canada-wide arrest warrant and an alert by Interpol after a house fire last month in Amos, a town in northern Quebec.

He is facing first-degree murder charges in relation to the two men and a woman found dead in the home.

After eluding police for more than two weeks, Bresaw was spotted in Tallahassee, Fla., shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday, charging a laptop in an electrical outlet behind a church.

David Northway, a spokesman for Tallahassee police, said Bresaw initially gave police a false name and managed to flee the scene after giving his real name.

An officer who tried to arrest Bresaw was left with a gash on his face and a broken nose after he fell into a metal support beam during a tussle, Northway said.

He said Bresaw was eventually tracked down three hours later, hiding under the backyard deck of a house. Police dogs and a helicopter were used to find him.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.